Fire-escape.



W. DANKE.

7 FIRE ESCAPE. APPLlCATlON men "11.4. 1916.-

29 INVENTOR 5 5 Jaw-FD our 0 WITNESSES: Z; WW1

'- ATTORNEY nu: mum: PEIERS cu, Pnomuma. WASNING mu. 0. c.

WALTER JjAN KE, or" ivnw iroiak, it. Y.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

Application fist 1 m, 1516.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, VV LrnR DAnKn, a subject of the Czar of Russia, and a resident of New York,'county and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Fire-Escapes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

This invention relates to a class of devices adapted to be used in emergency in buildings. g

My invention has for its object primarily to providea fire escapedesigned to be employed to allow persons to escape from a building and like structure when threatened with fire and other danger, and which is of a foldable form so as to occupy a very limited space for being keptin a roornwhen not in use as wellas for being quicklydisposed exteriorly of the building for use in emergency. v

The invention consists essentially of a foldable ladder composed of a pluralityof corresponding rung sections connected togetherso as to be in ov'erlapping rra g ment when folded as well as for being suspended one under the other on the wall of a building, .and each section is provided with automatically ad uStable means for removably retaining the ladder in spaced relation to the wall of the buildingas well as to prevent inwardsagging of the ladder under the weight of a person. M

A further object of the invention is to provide a fire escape of a simple and efiicient construction which is susceptible of being made light in weight as well as being very durable. U

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specificationin which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, the said invention being more fully described hereinafter, and then pointed out in the claim at the end of the description.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a fragmentary view, showing the window of a building with one form of fire escape embodying my invention when suspended therefrom for use, part of the fire escape being broken away. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view, partly in detail and partly broken away, taken on the line IIII of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing a side elevation of a part of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patcntedflc't. e1, 1916. saw eases.

fire escape, Fig. 4 is a detail sectional View taken 0n the lineIVIIV of Fig, 1, a1nd Fig. '5 is a view of the fire escape when folded. I

The fire escape has a foldable ladder 10 composed of a plurality of sections, as 11, all of which are preferably-similar in shapes and sizes, and. each section is formed of two spaced, parallel sidebars Y12 and 13. Between the side bars 12 and 13 of each of the sections. 11, andconneoted to the central parts of these side bars, is a. rung, or step 14: in the form of a ,rod. The side bars 12 and 13 of the sections are of lengths so thatthe rungs 14 are spaced apart at distances to permit a person to climb upward and downward on theladder, and between the upper ends of the top section is a rod 15. The sections of the ladder are assembled so that thelower ends of the side bars of each section are, in opposed relation to the upper ends of the side bars of the section thereunder, and the opposing ends of all of the sectio' s are connected preferably by links, or rings, as 16, to allow the ladder to be foldedtogether by guiding the sectionsin overlapping arrangement upon each. other as well as permitting the sections to be disposed one under the other in alinenient when the ladder is unfolded and arranged for use, as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

When the fire escape is not in use it is folded together, as shown in Fig. 5, so as to occupy a limited space in a room of a building or elsewhere for ready use in emergency, and to permit the device to be sus pended for use from for instance the window, as 17, of a building, as 18, to spaced parts oftherOCl 15 ,ofthe foldable ladder 10 are. connected one of the corresponding ends of'two chains, or cables, as 19 and 20. The other ends of the chains 19 and 20 terminate with hooks 21 for being removably inf: serted in eyes, as 22, which may be suitably arranged interiorly of the room of a building, or the chains may be fastened in any other manner for allowing the other ends thereof with the ladder to be disposed through the window and to permit the ladder to be supported in suspension on the exterior of the building, as illustrated.

In order to prevent inward sagging of the ladder under the weight of a person when moving thereon as well as releasably retaining the ladder in spaced relation to the wall of the building, on each of the sections 11 are provided a pair of automatically adjustable braces, or bars, as 23 and at. All of the braces are preferably alike in shape and size, and each brace is formed with a bar 25. Each side bar is provided with a cut away portion and at the head of said cut away portion one of the corresponding ends of the bars of the braces of each pair are pivoted, at 26 and 27 so that all the braces may be swung upwardly in lapping positions on the side bars to permit the device when folded to occupy a very limited space the outer surface of the brace lying flush with the outer surface of the uncut portion of the side bar. On the second ends of the bars of the braces of each pair are members, or heads 27 and 28, and these members are not only of suflicient weight to serve for causing the bars to automatically swing downwardly from their positions on the side bars of the sections of the ladder but also extend in similar right angular directions relative to the sections of the ladder and are provided with a flat face lying in a plane substantially parallel with the plane of the suspended ladder, so as to contact with the wall of the building for holding the ladder in spaced relation thereto and preventing any endwise oscillation thereof. To limit the downward movement of the braces as well as to releasably retain the braces in these right angular positions, on the outer side surfaces of the side bars of each of the sections of the ladder, and adjacent to the ivoted ends of each of the bars of the races, are shoulders, or stops, as 29 and 30, which extend from the side bars so that the braces will be supported thereon when low ered to their positions at right angles to the sections, and these stops may be provided by reducing in width the upper partof each of the side bars, as shown. By providing tli e braces 23 and 24: to operate in this manner the ladder will be prevented from sagging inwardly when a person is moving thereon,

thus a safe, simple and efficient device is provided for use in buildings and other structures whereby persons may escape therefrom in emergency.

Inthe foregoing description, I have embodied the preferred form of my invention, but I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself thereto as I am aware that modifications may be made therein without departing from the principle, or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention, therefore I reserve to myself the right' to make such changes as fairly fall within the scope thereof.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

In a fire escape a ladder composed of a plurality of corresponding sections, each section consisting of two spaced side bars each provided with a cut away portion, and a step connecting said side bars; a brace for each side bar having one of its ends pivoted thereto at the head of the cut away portion thereof and being adapted to fold within 7 Y said cut away portion, a shoulder formed by the cut away portion of the side bar and adapted to provide a stop for limiting'the downward movement of the brace, together with a weight secured to the free end of each brace to cause said brace to automatically move downward when the ladder is suspended, said weight having a fiat surface extending in a plane substantially parallel with the plane of the suspended ladder, and

extending at right angles to the brace and on both sides thereof, so that the flat surface will contact with the wall of a building and hold the section in spaced relation thereto and also prevent any endwise oscillation thereof, substantially as described.

This specification signed and witnessed this third day of April A. D. 1916.

GEORGE F. BENTLEY, C. SHrneLnY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

